Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., Officer-in-Charge of the Department of National Defense (OIC, DND), met with His Excellency Gerard Ho, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Singapore to the Philippines, on August 3, 2022 at the EDSA Lounge of the DND Social Hall in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The two sides exchanged views on the security situation in the region. Acknowledging the realities of strategic competition and overlapping territorial claims, both sides concurred on the significance of maintaining peace and stability in the region as well as strengthening cooperation with partners. It was also highlighted that the Philippines and Singapore are like-minded countries that share common security concerns.
Senior Undersecretary Faustino recalled exchanges between the Armed Forces of the Philippines with its Singaporean counterparts during his time at the Philippine Army, and expressed satisfaction over how far Philippines-Singapore defense relations have come since then. The Ambassador also noted bilateral exchanges and raised the pending discussions on frameworks of cooperation between the defense establishments of the two countries.
Underscoring that Singapore envisions itself as a long-term partner of the Philippines, the Ambassador expressed hope that such frameworks of cooperation would be concluded soon. The OIC, DND assured the Ambassador that the DND will work with relevant agencies in following up the pending review of proposed frameworks between the Philippines and Singapore.
In addition to bilateral cooperation, the Ambassador also highlighted regional cooperation by recalling the Philippines’ participation in the Fullerton Forum and the Shangri-La Dialogue. He also welcomed opportunities for the OIC, DND to visit Singapore. (VICTOR BALDEMOR)
